Fruit-jar wrench.



PA-TBNTED MAR. 5, 1907. J. L. DE STEIGER. FRUIT JAR WRENCH.

AIPLIOATION FILED MAY 3,1906

v (1 venfoz wam 7 u. c 114s NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRUIT-JAR WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed May 3, 1906. Serial No. 315,055.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. DE STEIGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Salle, in the county of Lasalle and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Jar Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to fruitjar wrenches; and it contemplates theprovision of a simple and eflicient' wrench for tightening and loosening the covers of fruit-jars and for smoothing out any uneven or damaged portions in the edge of the cover with a view of assuring a close fit of the cover edge against the gasket usually employed and in that way excluding air from the interior of the jar.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my novel wrench as properly arranged on the cover of a fruit-jar. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and illustrating the clamping screw in elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by arrow and showing the means for smoothing out uneven or damaged portions in the edge of the jar-cover.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which- A is a fruit-j ar of the well-known Mason type.

B is the metallic cover of the jar.

C is the rubber ring or gasket ordinarily employed between the cover and thejarbody with a view of rendering the closure of the ar air-tight, and D is my novel wrench as a whole.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the wrench D comprises a body E, a clamping-screw F, and a cover-presser G. The body E is preferably formed of a strap of suitable metal and has a handle a, jaws 1), arranged at the forward end of the handle, and lugs 0, arranged at the forward ends of the jaws, one of the said lugs having a threaded aperture (1 and the other a plain aperture e, as best shown in Fig. 2. In plan the jaws b are approximately semicircular in form, and their inner sides are concave in cross-section in order to permit of the wrench being turned about the cover B and at the same time hold the wrench against casual movement off the cover. The clamping-screw F is preferably of the construction shown in Fig. 2that is to say, it has a threaded shank a shoulder g, and a thumbpiece h. The cover-presser G preferably, though not necessarily, comprises a hanger lc, secured through the medium of rivets Z between the parallel portions of the handle a, and a roller m, mounted in the lower portion of the hanger k and disposed at an angle in order to better engage and bear on the edge of the cover B after the manner shown in Fig. 1.

The clamping-j aws b of the wrench are possessed of resiliency, and from this it follows that when the screw F is tightened the jaws will be fixed on the cover B, and when the said screw F is loosened the said j aws will be rendered loose on the cover and free to turn about the same.

In the practical use of my novel wrench when it is desired to ti hten or loosen the arcover B the jaws b of the wrench are positioned on the upper portion of the cover and the screw Fis tightened to set the jaws against the cover. With this done it will be apparent that when the wrench is swung horizontally the cover B will be tightened or loosened, according to the direction of movement of the wrench. It will also be apparent that after the cover is made tight on the jar and it is necessary to smooth out any uneven or damaged places in the edge of the cover the same may be expeditiously and easily accomplished by loosening the screw F and then oscillating the wrench so as to move the roller G to and fro over the uneven or damaged places in the cover edge, downward pressure being of course imposed on the handle portion of the wrench during the said oscillation of the same. While the jaws b when rendered loose on the cover B will permit of the wrench being oscillated horizontally in the manner and for the purpose described, it will be seen that there is no tendency of the said jaws to move casually off the cover. After the wrench is employed, as described, to press out uneven places in the edge of the cover and to force the cover edge tight against the rubber ring or gasket the wrench may obviously be lifted off the jar with facility and as readily applied to the cover of another jar.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that in addition to the practical advantages possessed by my novel wrench the same is simple, compact, and inexpensive in construc tion and is well adapted to withstand. the usage to which such devices are ordinarily subjected.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A fruit-j ar wrench comprising a handle,

semicircular clamping-jaws arranged at theforward end of the handle, means adjustably connecting the forward ends of said jaws, and a presser carried by and depending from the handle and arranged to bear on the edge of a j ar-cover.

2. A fruit-jar wrench comprising a handle and semicircular clamping-jaws at the for- Ward end of the handle; the handle being formed by bending a strap of metal into loop shape and the clamping-jaws being formed by the end portions of said strap of metal, means adjustably connecting the forward ends of the clamping-jaws, and a presser secured between the portions of the handle and arranged to bear on the edge of a jar-cover.

3. A fruit-jar wrench comprising a handle and semicircular clamping-jaws at the forward end of the handle; the handle being formed by bending a strap of metal into loop shape and the cla1npingjaws being formed by the end portions of said strap of metal and being provided at their forward ends with lugs one of which has a plain and the other a threaded aperture, a screw connecting said lugs, and a presser having a hanger secured between the portions of the handle, and a roller mounted in said hanger and arranged to bear on the edge of a jar-cover.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH L. DE STEIGER.

lVitnesses:

MAE A. GEIB, E. A. DE STEIGER. 

